PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Devenyi, P.
AU  - Harrison, M. L.
TI  - Prevention of alcohol withdrawal seizures with oral diazepam loading
DP  - 1985 Apr 01
TA  - Canadian Medical Association Journal
PG  - 798--800
VI  - 132
IP  - 7
4099  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/132/7/798.short
4100  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/132/7/798.full
SO  - CMAJ1985 Apr 01; 132
AB  - Twenty patients withdrawing from alcohol who had reliable histories of previous alcohol-withdrawal seizures and thus were at high risk for a subsequent seizure were treated in hospital with oral diazepam loading: 20 mg of the drug was given every hour to a minimum total of 60 mg. None of the patients had a seizure during the stay in hospital. We believe that phenytoin prophylaxis is not necessary in these circumstances. However, if the patient is already taking phenytoin, this drug should not be abruptly discontinued in the withdrawal period in favour of diazepam loading.